So! Thank you all so much for not believing for a second that I would ever enter a professional hot dog eating competition. Obviously, if it had been a professional Tiramisu eating competition, it would have been a totally different story, and you all would have thought, of course, that number two was the lie (because CAN YOU BELIEVE that woman said that to me about the acne? Such rudeness does exist!) I feel I should tell you, though, that even though number four was indeed entirely untrue, and I have never in my life even been to Coney Island (though I once went to Jamaica, Queens because I got on the wrong subway and didn't notice for ages), I did once hear of a girl called Amanda Sidebottom who pronounced it Sidday-bott-tome. (I also went to school with a girl called Claire Longbottom, though she pronounced it as you would expect.)

So the truth is out! On Monday I really did quit my job! And apparently, it's Resign From Your Editing Job week in the blogging world because look who has totally copied me! I wish I could tell you that Amalah quit because she is also coming traveling in Southeast Asia with me and Sean, but I've a feeling her husband and baby might be a little offended if she did. Plus, have you seen what she looks like? With the long blonde hair and the legs? You think I'm going to be seen in a bikini on a beach in Thailand next to her?

Regardless, my Huge Life-Changing Adventure is about to begin, and here, if you are interested, are the details of it. Please excuse me if I hyperventilate between paragraphs; it's still taking a little getting used to. As of May 12, I will officially no longer have a job. (Do you want it? I can tell you who to send your resume to. Someone's got to have it, after all. And you'd totally be doing me a favor by taking it off my hands; I did say I'd try to help find my replacement.) On May 15, freshly unemployed, I'll be jetting off to London for two weeks. Because I haven't been back since Christmas 2004---and then only for ten days, at which point I hadn't been back for TWO YEARS---I am expecting lots of hugging and shrieking and also lots of shopping in Topshop and lots of drinking in pubs and lots of going to see bands and lots of sleeping on other people's sofas. (Basically, I am expecting it to be like college again, except we will all have more money and better hair. And no essays due in the morning on the postmodern female poet.)

Once I'm back from England, my dear Jemima is getting married, and I will be walking up the aisle behind her in pale gold champagne silk and, most likely, some sort of forgiving corset-like undergarment (see "lots of drinking in pubs" in previous paragraph.) Because we'll be leaving Charleston probably somewhere around June 20th, I'll have three weeks to sell my car, find someone to move into our apartment, and hopefully pick up a little freelance work between bouts of obsessive packing. (If you want to give me some, I will totally buy you a present in Topshop. Freelance work, I mean, not packing. I'm going to have enough of that.) We're going to drive the cats up to summer camp in Connecticut, where Sean's parents will be their camp counselors (though we haven't actually asked them yet, so, um, fingers crossed on that one) and then we're going to return to Charleston, rent a U-Haul, fill it up with all our stuff, get terribly drunk with all our friends one last time, and then wake up the next morning and embark upon A Rather Extensive Roadtrip.

Because although I've told you about the traveling around Southeast Asia for six months (more of which later), I haven't really told you about the end goal. And the end goal is that, when the six months of traveling are over, we won't be returning to Charleston with our tans and our dysentry-ridden bodies and our suitcases full of tie-dyed pants and other things one thinks it's a good idea to buy when one is on vacation in a foreign country. We're moving to San Francisco.

There isn't any real reason for it, other than the fact that we both love the West Coast, and we both feel like a change, and we've both visited several times, so we already know exactly where all the Trader Joe's stores are, which is useful. One might argue that moving to The Most Expensive City In The World in late December without jobs or an apartment or a car or friends or any real knowledge of the city is kind of a silly thing to do, and to those people I say: YES, IT IS. But I also say, hello, this is San Francisco, so at least the tie-dyed pants will be appropriate.

So let's back up: after driving a U-Haul across the country from Charleston to California (anyone live between here and there and want a couple of strangers sleeping on their floor for a night?), which we figure will take about a week---longer if I force us to stop so we can act out scenes from On The Road---we're going to put all our stuff into storage then fly out to Singapore. We'll spend three weeks living with my family before setting off on our adventures, malaria tablets taken, mosquito nets packed, and large, cumbersome backpacks strapped to our backs.

First we'll fly up to Hong Kong, about a three-hour flight, and stay for a few days. I lived in Hong Kong for seven years, so I'm looking forward to showing Sean my old house and my old elementary school, and also the best market in which to see a live goat with its head cut off. Then we're going to take a train to Shanghai, continue up to Beijing, and then take a train all the way down across the Chinese-Vietnamese border into Hanoi, which I'm fairly certain will be one of the more unpleasant experiences of my life. Also one of the longest. Then we're going to travel down the coast of Vietnam, into Cambodia, across into Thailand, down into Malaysia, and then across the causeway back into Singapore. We expect the whole thing to take several months.

Of course, I'm going to be blogging the whole time (are you kidding me? You can't get rid of me that easily.) And while I'll hopefully have a few stories I can try and sell to travel magazines afterwards, and Sean will have approximately seventeen million photographs, that isn't really the point of the journey. The point is that there's no other time in our lives that we'll be able to do this, and though I am terrified out of my little mind at the thought of stepping out of my comfort zone---I am contemplating having a short lie down under my desk right now just to deal with it because, after all, what are they going to do about it, FIRE ME?---it really is the right thing to do and the right time to do it. And, of course, exactly the right person to do it with.

"I cannot rest from travel ...
... All experience is an arch wherethro'
Gleams that untravell'd world whose margin fades
Forever and forever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!
... Come, my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world."

Holly? I want to say something witty and trite, but in the end, I can't. You're absolutely right. NOW is the time to do EXACTLY THIS and it will be the experience of a lifetime. I'm a little jealous, frankly. I wish I'd been smart enough to enjoy my youth. ;) I am thrilled for you and Sean and can't wait to read all about your adventures!

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lindsay Apr 19, 2006

wow. and amazing. and oooooooooo! good luck, i wish i had a sofa enroute for you. sadly, Vancouver is a wee bit too far north for you. i can't wait to read all about your adventures.

3

Marly Apr 19, 2006

Yay!! I'm happy for you and Sean (and also slightly jealous). Is there room in your suitcase for me, my husband, and two small children?

4

Sheila Apr 19, 2006

I sit in awe of you. Also, hoping to live vicariously through you and Sean for the next few months (although without the dysentery part, thank you), so I'm glad you'll continue writing from the road. Happy trails!

I could not be more proud of you if I tried, and I am THRILLED to welcome you to my time zone. That's marvelous, Holly. You are exactly at the right point in your life and with a marvelous person and you ARE a marvelous person and honestly? I'm a bit verklempt. You go DO this. We're so excited to hear about it.

I'm just up the road from SF, so call me when you get there and I will gladly accompany you to Napa, or the Jelly Belly Factory, or bring you something that your Trader Joes is out of.

Also, if there are any to-die-for summer clothes in your closet, go ahead and bequeath them to Susie now because you will NEVER NEED THEM in SF.

10

Nothing But BonfiresApr 19, 2006

Rockstar Mommy, I did EXACTLY that.

Except without the throwing of the papers. And the "Who's coming with me!?" So actually it was more like "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but..." and then some sedate hand-shaking and some talk of COBRA. And my voice totally quavered, so actually it was kind of nothing like I wanted it to be. Although, there was a hug. And a "good for you!"

11

Nothing But BonfiresApr 19, 2006

Also, excuse me, THE JELLY BELLY FACTORY? Right, that finalizes is. Truthfully, there was a 3% part of me that thought, "hmm, San Francisco? Or LA?"

Wa-hoo! The trip sounds dreamy; I personally have a bit of an aversion to Asia, although that's probably because of what Ben got up to in Thailand back before he knew me (eww, Thai hookers). I'm delighted to hear you'll continue blogging, and ECSTATIC to hear you'll ultimately end up in my time zone! That way, when I sneak downstairs to the computer after the family's in bed to get some fucking time to myself for a change, there's a chance you'll also be awake drinking and blogging. FUN.

So, fellow readers, who's next? I did it the day after Christmas, Holly and Amalah did it this week -- LIVE A LITTLE. QUIT YOUR JOB TODAY!

That's fantastic. I stepped out of my comfort zone last year, and while I only moved across the country, it has done wonders for the soul. And SO glad you will be blogging along the way! Congratulations!

oh my god, you are the luckiest girl in the whole world!!!! what a brilliant adventure!

and best of all, you'll be right down the road from me at the end of it! :)

17

sfshar Apr 19, 2006

Ohhh-- That is so exciting! What an opportunity! And we get to read all about it (your trip, that is) -- even better!! AND-- the cherry on top-- the move to San Fran!! Awesome! I'll be your most faithful local reader! yay!

18

anna Apr 20, 2006

Well if it's pubs and bands and sofas you're after....I have 2 very comfortable (and quite enormous) sofas in a fantastic location in central London with your names on them I think!! 10 minutes walk from Topshop. They have some good stuff in at the moment....
(I wish I could do one of those smiley face things here.)
It's so cool you're coming; I haven't seen you guys forEVER.

19

Nothing But BonfiresApr 20, 2006

Sean isn't coming to London. Does that mean I can have TWO comfy sofas?!

I am so terribly jealous as I haven't figured out a way to make this happen in my own life, save winning the PowerBall. Two dogs, a house, and empty bank accounts do not make for easy travel. If you pass through Boulder, Colorado en route to San Francisco, I have a couch, floorspace, and cold beer.

SF is a great choice!! When you pop through Sacramento, if Irony Queen isn't available, email me. She's right about the Jelly Belly Factory...they have giant bags of Belly Flops, the ones that didn't come out pretty and perfect but still taste good, for very cheap. Then there is wine just down the road...what else could the weary traveler want?!?

Um, Since I never paid attention in school and know NOTHING about geography, I have no idea if you'll be traveling through Southern California or not, but if you are, well, you're totally welcome to stay in our UGLY ASS GHETTO RENTED house for as long as you like (or, as long as you could stand the noise because My kids? They are SO DAMN LOUD.)

Of course, there would be "conditions" for me letting you stay here. Ok. One condition and can you guess what it is? CAN YOU?

*HINT*
The Monkey.

23

Nothing But BonfiresApr 20, 2006

Y, if you are suggesting a dance-off, IT IS ON. I have step aerobics on Saturday. I'm going to start practicing. Most of my moves will come from there.

WOW and YEY and WOW some more. I LOVE SF and if we move countries again I've got a bit of a yen for California. I love Sausalito. (Which we like to call 'Sausage-and-Eggs-alito' but don't hold that against us.)

It all sounds like a great plan - and if it's anything like our wild moves from one place to another it won't always be easy but always worth it.

Will be following your adventures closely...are you sure you don't want to fit in a trip to NZ????

I think it sounds like such a wonderful, fun, crazy idea. I can't WAIT for the posts from the goat market, really. Live-blogging will be on a whole new LEVEL. Seriously, sweet and funny Holly, congratulations!

Hey, I uprooted my life about a year and a half ago to move to Seattle with LoveShack. We moved here sight unseen. Some might have called that a ridiculous plan, but see how well it all worked out? I applaud your move to the West Coast and your travel plans. You go, girl.

Ha! I have a step! Sure, it has a giant crack in it, but still! It's a step and it is SO ON.

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starfruit Apr 20, 2006

WOW...I love your blog and am pleased you will continue writing. I admire you! Please tell me - regarding the lead singer of Our Lady Peace - was his name Jeff? Keep bloggin'!!!

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Nothing But BonfiresApr 20, 2006

No, his name was Raine. Raine Maida. Holly Maida would have been such a great name. But I guess I didn't impress him enough for our romance to blossom, since one of my interview questions was "Peanut butter: crunchy or smooth?"

good for you! i too am reaching that point of putting my hands on my hips and then spinning a globe and stabbing my finger on it blindly. i have the travel bug, and must get out of this country at least once a year. my mom is from germany and my dad is a fellow Brit, so i grew up going to europe every summer. that whole "every summer" thing became much more expensive when turned 18, but i have managed to FIND a way every year to travel internationally, even if it meant eating top ramen noodles everyday. anyway, i promise you will never regret this trip, this scary decision and this awesome move.
i live in a simple suburb of Los Angeles, and you and your hunny are totally welcome to sleep at my house.
thanks for entertaining me with your blog every week, and thanks to amalah for linking me to you via her site.
good luck.
"travel is as much a passion as ambition or love."
-L.E Landon

Oh, you are so doing the right thing. You SO are! Hooray, you! And I want every last mile blogged about, though how you're going to do that on a train across China, I do not know. Satellite phone? Perhaps we readers should band together to buy you one.

Only be warned: it's addictive (the travel, not the satphone). I up and spent a year in Kenya right after college (having only left the States once before, and never having traveled alone: hello!) and thought that would do it. Nope. Two years later, back to Kenya, leading a trip with NINETEEN TEENAGERS for the summer. Even that didn't do it, because five years later I was back on the road: New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Hong Kong. Three years after that, India for a year, with some Nepal thrown in for R&R. Now, I am counting days until I can take the boys along with me, first to India, then to Mali, where my husband and I are involved in a medical project. Anybody want to donate frequent flyer miles?

Oh, and speaking of miles: please, please, please, will you visit us on your way across the country? Please? I promise fat, friendly yellow cats and two friendly children (one thin, dark, and liable to strip and sing you the Bob the Builder song, the other fat, blond, and squishily delicious when stripped and squeezed). Please?

While I am enormously disappointed that you are not a competitive hot dog eater, I suppose this is the next best thing.

Can I admit to being proud of someone I only know over the Internet airwaves? I suppose I can. I am proud of you Holly. You are stretching yourself and you are going to be so happy with the choices you've made. I can't wait to hear all about it. And you are especially lucky to be able to enjoy the next six months with Sean. Amazing.

And now that I'm done being sappy, can I just say once more, I'm really sad about the hot dogs. SO. SAD.

42

Heather Apr 20, 2006

OK, as if I wasn't already jealous enough re: the whole quitting-your-job-and-traveling-through-Southeast-Asia-for-six-months thing. NOW you tell me you're moving to San Francisco? One of my favorite places in the whole wide world?? I am positively green with envy.

Seriously, though -- what a great opportunity and how smart of you to know that this is exactly the right time to take it. I am so excited for you!

43

Heather Apr 20, 2006

P.S. If you're having any doubts about putting your pink Kitchenaid mixer into storage for six months, I could provide a lovely temporary home for it in Indianapolis. And I don't even cook, so it would be like your mixer was on vacation, too! I would let it lounge by the pool (ok, the sink) and give it fruity drinks with little umbrellas...

Congratulations!!!!! I quit my job recently too, and it's been the best thing ever. I'm taking a class, learning all sorts of great new things, and realigning life goals. Enjoy every minute. And keep us posted.

49

MJ Apr 20, 2006

Let me be the 48th person to say, congratulations! You're so right that this is the best time to do this. On a recent weekend away with friends (and without children or husbands), I was bemoaning the fact that I hadn't done exactly what you're doing. Alas, I now have a husband, children, and a mortgage, and I love them all (except the mortgage, of course!!) and it's impossible to do this. There's also the fact that I suspect backpacking through Asia (or anywhere) is something a woman of my age can't do. It's like wearing teen fashions. You might be able to fit into them but it doesn't mean it's right.

50

Rachel B Apr 20, 2006

Congratulations! I live and work in "the city" (which is what you will become accustomed to calling SF if you are here. Don't EVER call it Frisco. Just a tip. Not cause I would judge you, but other people will think you are a slack-jawed yokel.)....and would be happy to give you job and house-hunting tips. Have fun on your trip.

I'm just really really glad to read about someone else who moves somewhere just because it seems cool and they think they'd like living there. Because every time I do that I get the same blank stare and "but WHY are you moving there?" from assorted relatives.
I can't wait to read about your trip!

I know I'm like the 50th person to say so, but dude. I am so jealous, I want to be you, I'm proud of you and I don't even know you, I wish I was you, Will you pack me in your suitcase, and I so wish I had the guts to do what you're doing. Who knows, maybe I'll be next. Best of luck to you and I can't wait to read of your travels!

May I recommend stopping in Xi'an during that mega train ride through China? I loved Xi'an, and I loved the kitty that lived at our hostel (near the south gate). You can rent bikes on the top of the city wall and ride around and kind of get above the sting-y air and you can totally make out behind the guard towers at each of the corners.

Oh, and may I also recommend bringing a bandana to wrap around your face during said train ride, because even though the train cars say nonsmoking, EVERYTHING in China is the smoking/spitting section.

Good on you for doing this. And best of luck in your new life in the City. I wish I could afford to move back.

I am so excited for you and your adventure. You have tons of courage to do this and you are so right, now is the time. Good luck to you both (you and Sean) and if ya’ll need a place to stay (if you are going through Texas) give me a shout… we have a comfy guest bedroom.

I love that you just quoted one of my all time favorite poems. And, more importantly, I LOVE that you guys are taking this exciting plunge. Oh Holly, it will be such an adventure.

As for San Francisco, you guys will absolutely love it. DK and I lived there together for several years and I still tear up when we fly into SF on our way down to Carmel Valley for Christmas, because it is so beautiful and so evocative of a certain time in our lives and it just feels like coming home. God, I am getting all verklempt and sentimental. It just seems like you two are on the cusp of something wonderful, and even though I hardly know you and this is a totally inappropriate response, I feel very PROUD.

Girl, you have excellent taste - I grew up in the bay area and there is nothing better than San Francisco! You'll be eating the best sourdough bread, have tons of Its-Its (check it out if you havent heard of those yet: http://www.itsiticecream.com/), and be around fun and down to earth people. I'm stuck in LA for a few years but I'll be moving back up to Northern CA as soon as possible!

You know, if you take the southern route and go through Texas you can stay with me. Really. I live near San Antonio. (Make sure your car has AC before hitting the highway though.)
I've done stranger things. I have stayed with people in Moldova for 3 weeks that I had never met and didn't speak their language. In my cross country travels I have twice stayed with people I met via online bulletin boards (okay, they were parenting ones so maybe a little less risky than some others). I met a girl in Nigeria that then immigrated to the US and she has come to visit. All of these occasions have been wonderful experiences. Feel free to e-mail me for a place to stay. And, by the way, I live in the pretty part of Texas.

so many comments! first of all, congratulations on this brilliant move. the train ride won't be so bad. Wood did something like that several times. I only went from Beijing to Shanghai. just get a sleeper and bring lots of ramen. but not if ramen gives you the poops. the toilet is just a hole in the floor of the train.

Wow, delurking to say just "Wow". Sounds like the journey of a lifetime, and I must admit I am quite jealous! Wish I had the balls to do something so amazing. No floor to offer you, though, unless you make a pitstop in Ireland!

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Melissa F. Apr 21, 2006

Delurking as well...this trip sounds like so much fun! I can't wait to read about it!! I saw slides of the Vietnam coast from when my Dad was there and it's beautiful. Hope you have a great time!!

70

JB Apr 21, 2006

Oh, I'm so glad you'll still be writing! I just found your site and was feeling a pout coming on at the thought of it already being shut down... Good luck, and enjoy your trip! And think of all the bohemian clothes you'll have to buy for your new role as gypsy traveller....

If you don't mind staying with a stranger and by some twisted travel logic Rhode Island is on your way to San Francisco, you can stay with me!

lurker girl here. lol. i met my dh on a whim roadtrip/moving to san francisco, THEN we moved to charleston (for 6yrs)!! are we long lost twins?? gina in columbia :) who wants to move to the beaches in florida soon , cause i've already done san fran.

tip- wonderful restaurant called Ti Couz. crepe restaurant in soma. gotta go!
GAWD i hope you have a wonderful time. you go girl!

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Rabea Apr 22, 2006

Oh my god, I find your life so exciting! Please, please keep blogging!!! And good luck with all your plans...!